The present invention relates to reinforcing and supporting members for supporting steel reinforcing bars before casting concrete thereover when making steel-reinforced concrete panels. The invention also relates to a method of making such supporting members, and also to the steel-reinforced concrete panels including such supporting members.
The term "panel", as used herein, includes not only pre-cast panels but also panels cast in situ. Further, this term includes panels used for making horizontal members such as floors, ceilings and beams; vertical members such as walls and columns; diagonal members, such as staircases; or members of other orientations.
Concrete panels of the foregoing types generally include two groups of steel reinforcing bars, one group extending parallel to each other along one orthogonal axis, and the other group extending parallel to each other along the other orthogonal axis or at other angles. The bars of the two groups are generally tied to each other at their intersection points before casting the concrete to immobilize them when casting the concrete until the concrete is hardened. Tying together the two groups of bars requires considerable labor and time, which thereby increases the overall cost and time in producing the panels.